Episode 19: Jean Kittson (Part 1): From Shy Kid to Comedy...

In this episode Kate Thomas sits down with Jean Kittson, one of Australia's most loved comedians, to cover:

• Jean's unexpected path from shy child to comedy icon
• How a drama teacher and a joke-shop dad quietly shaped everything that followed
• Jean's early career teaching drama in disadvantaged schools and what it taught her about confidence and communication
• Adult ADHD and what getting a diagnosis later in life can mean for women
• Menopause and what Jean's experience has been navigating it in the public eye
• Sex education in schools and why it still falls short for young people
• What it means to carve out independence as a woman across different stages of life

Jean Kittson is one of Australia's most recognisable and beloved comedians, but Episode 19 reveals just how accidental the path there really was. Growing up as a shy child in a family where her dad's love of comedy, gags and joke-shop tricks set a quiet but influential tone, Jean did not arrive at comedy through ambition or design. She fell into drama almost by accident, thanks to a teacher at her high school who saw something in her worth encouraging. It is a reminder that the smallest nudge at the right moment can change the course of everything. 

Before Jean Kittson became a household name, she spent time teaching drama in disadvantaged schools, and those experiences shaped her understanding of people, confidence and communication in ways that stayed with her throughout her career. In Episode 19 she reflects on what it means to give young people access to performance, expression and the experience of being heard, and why that work mattered far beyond the classroom. It is one of the quieter but more moving parts of a conversation full of unexpected depth. 

One of the most significant topics in Episode 19 is adult ADHD, an area of growing awareness particularly among women who were never diagnosed in childhood. Jean and Kate discuss what getting an ADHD diagnosis later in life can mean, how the condition presents differently in women, and why so many women spend decades being told they are scattered, too much or not enough before anyone thinks to look more carefully. For women who have wondered whether their own experiences of overwhelm, distraction or emotional intensity might be connected to ADHD, this conversation offers both validation and practical insight. A telehealth pharmacist consultation can help you understand how ADHD medications work and what questions to ask your GP. 

Jean Kittson has spoken publicly about menopause for years, well before it became the cultural conversation it is today, and her perspective in Episode 19 is candid, funny and genuinely valuable. She and Kate discuss what navigating menopause looks and feels like for women in public-facing careers, the pressure to maintain energy and performance through a significant hormonal transition, and why more open conversations about menopause in workplaces and public life matter so much. 

Episode 19 also covers sex education in schools and why it continues to fall short of what young people actually need, as well as the broader question of what it means to carve out independence as a woman across the different stages of life. Jean's perspective on this, shaped by decades in the public eye, by motherhood, by work and by the particular freedoms and constraints of being a woman in Australia across several generations, is thoughtful, funny and worth every minute. 

The conversation continues in Episode 20, where things get even more candid as Kate and Jean talk midlife, sex and Jean meets Horace. 

If this episode has raised questions about ADHD, menopause, HRT or your medications, a telehealth pharmacist consultation with Kate is a great next step. In a dedicated one-on-one session you can go through your symptoms, your current medications and your treatment options in plain language, without rushing. 

Book a consultation with Kate Thomas.

You can view the transcript for this episode below